Poinsettia plant named ‘Duelepink’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant named ‘Duelepink’, characterized by its inflorescences with inflorescences with dark pink-colored flower bracts; dark green-colored leaves with green-colored petioles; uniform and rounded plant habit; early flowering; large number of cyathia per corymb; and excellent post-production longevity.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION/CULTIVAR DENOMINATION

Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. cultivar Duelepink.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofPoinsettia plant, botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd., andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Duelepink’.

The new Poinsettia is a product of a mutation induction programconducted by the Inventor in Rheinberg, Germany. The objective of theprogram is to create new Poinsettia cultivars with uniform plant habitand attractive flower bract coloration.

The new Poinsettia originated by exposing unrooted cuttings of theEuphorbia pulcherrima Willd. cultivar Duewi, disclosed in U.S. PlantPat. No. 11,334, to gamma radiation in Rheinberg, Germany in 1998. Thenew Poinsettia was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a singleplant within a population of irradiated plants in a controlledenvironment in Rheinberg, Germany in 1998. The selection of this plantwas based on its attractive flower bract coloration and uniform planthabit.

Asexual reproduction of the new Poinsettia by vegetative terminalcuttings taken at Rheinberg, Germany since 1998, has shown that theunique features of this new Poinsettia are stable and reproduced true totype in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Duelepink’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Duelepink’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Inflorescences with dark pink-colored flower bracts.

2. Dark green-colored leaves with green-colored petioles.

3. Uniform and rounded plant habit.

4. Early flowering; response time, about eight weeks.

5. Large number of cyathia per corymb.

6. Excellent post-production longevity.

Plants of the new Poinsettia differ primarily from plants of the parentcultivar in flower bract color as plants of the cultivar Duewi hadred-colored flower bracts.

Plants of the new Poinsettia can be compared to plants of the cultivarMalibu Pink, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted inRheinberg, Germany, plants of the new Poinsettia differed from plants ofthe cultivar Malibu Pink in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Poinsettia were shorter than plants of the cultivarMalibu Pink.

2. Plants of the new Poinsettia had larger leaves and longer petiolesthan plants of the cultivar Malibu Pink.

3. Plants of the new Poinsettia flowered later than plants of thecultivar Malibu Pink.

4. Flower bract color of plants of the new Poinsettia did not fade asquickly as flower bract color of plants of the cultivar Malibu Pink.

5. Plants of the new Poinsettia had larger cyathia clusters and morecyathia per corymb than plants of the cultivar Malibu Pink.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearanceof the new Poinsettia, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotograph differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description which accurately describe the colors of the newPoinsettia.

The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a single floweringplant of ‘Duelepink’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The new Poinsettia has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength and lightintensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The aforementioned photographs, following observations and averagedmeasurements describe plants grown in Rheinberg, Germany during thewinter under commercial practice in a glass-covered greenhouse with dayand night temperatures about 22° C. and light levels about 4,500 lux.Single plants were grown in 13-cm pots and pinched once. Plants wereflowered under natural season short day/long night conditions. Plantswere about 16 weeks from unrooted cuttings when the photographs and thedetailed botanical description were taken.

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

Botanical classification: Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. cultivarDuelepink.

Parentage: Induced mutation of the Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. cultivarDuewi, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,334.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—Vegetative terminal cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—Summer: About 9 days at 22° C. Winter: About 13days at 22° C.

Time to develop roots.—Summer: About 21 days at 22° C. Winter: About 28days at 22° C.

Root description.—Thick, fibrous and white in color.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching.

Plant description:

Plant form.—Inverted triangle, top of plant rounded.

Growth habit.—Upright and uniform plant habit.

Plant height.—About 19.5 cm.

Plant diameter or spread.—About 40 cm.

Lateral branch description.—Quantity per plant: About eight lateralbranches develop after pinching. Length: About 17 cm. Diameter: About 5mm. Internode length: About 1.2 cm. Color: 137A.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate, single. Quantity of leavesper lateral branch: About 11. Length: About 10.2 cm. Width: About 7.3cm. Shape: Mostly ovate with irregular lobing. Apex: Apiculate. Base:Obtuse. Margin: Entire with irregular lobing. Venation pattern: Pinnate.Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Glabrous, smooth. Surface: Mostlyflat. Color: Young and fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 136A.Young and fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 137B. Venation, uppersurface: 144B. Venation, lower surface: 139D. Petiole: Length: About 6.6cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Glabrous,smooth. Color, upper and lower surfaces: 144B.

Inflorescence description:

Inflorescence type and habit.—Inflorescences are compound corymbs ofcyathia with colored flower bracts subtending the cyathia.Inflorescences are not fragrant. Inflorescences persistent.

Natural flowering season.—Autumn/winter in Northern Hemisphere. Flowerinitiation and development is induced under long nyctoperiod conditions.Response time, about eight weeks.

Post-production longevity.—Plants of the new Poinsettia maintain goodsubstance and bract color for about eight weeks under interiorconditions and about 12 to 14 weeks under greenhouse conditions.

Quantity of inflorescences per plant.—One per lateral branch, abouteight.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 20 cm. Height (depth): About 3 cm.

Flower bracts.—Quantity of flower bracts per inflorescence: About 14.Length, largest bracts: About 9.9 cm. Width, largest bracts: About 5.4cm. Shape: Mostly ovate with irregular lobing. Apex: Apiculate. Base:Obtuse. Margin: Entire with irregular lobing. Texture, upper and lowersurfaces: Glabrous, velvety. Surface: Rugose. Orientation: Mostlyhorizontal to slightly upright. Color: Developing bracts, upper andlower surfaces: 47A. Fully developed bracts, upper surface: 51A; colorfading to 51B with subsequent development. Fully developed bracts, lowersurface: 51C. Venation, upper and lower surfaces: Same as lamina. Bractpetiole: Length: About 1.7 cm. Diameter: About 1.3 mm. Texture, upperand lower surfaces: Glabrous, smooth. Color, upper and lower surfaces:47A.

Cyathia.—Quantity of cyathia per corymb: About 15. Diameter of cyathiacluster: About 2.8 cm. Length: About 7 mm. Diameter: About 5 mm. Shape:Ovoid. Color, immature and mature: 144B. Peduncle: Length: About 3 mm.Diameter: About 1.5 mm. Strength/aspect: Strong, curved. Color: 144B.Stamens: Quantity of stamens per cyathium: About 15. Anther shape: Oval.Anther length: About 0.9 mm. Anther color: 9A. Amount of pollen:Abundant. Pollen color: 14A. Pistils: Quantity of pistils per cyathium:One. Pistil length: About 8 mm. Style length: About 3 mm. Style color:144C. Stigma color: 59A. Ovary color: 144B. Nectaries: Quantity ofnectaries per cyathium: One. Length: About 3.5 mm. Color: 15B.

Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common toPoinsettias has not been observed on plants grown under commercialconditions.

Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Poinsettia have been observedto tolerate temperatures from 12 to 40° C.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant named‘Duelepink’, as illustrated and described.